The Battle Between Laser Eye Treatment and Contact Lenses

Individuals opt for laser eye treatment because it allows them the freedom of not wearing eyeglasses for the years to come. Another means to experience this kind of liberation is by wearing contact lenses. With this in mind, the first question that comes into mind is this: should you opt for having laser eye treatment or wearing contact lenses?

Both forms of vision correction have their own advantages and disadvantages, of course.

For instance, individuals whose prescriptions always change are not suitable for refractive surgery. Why is this so? Patients who have unstable prescriptions will most likely experience changes in visual clarity after undergoing laser eye treatment. This will result to the patients wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses, or worse, having more eye surgeries, even after undergoing laser eye treatment. An alternative then would be to invest in disposable lenses, preferably those that come with a 3-month guarantee. This way, the prescriptions can be easily updated each time the individual experiences a change in visual clarity.

Secondly, individuals whose prescriptions are very high won’t benefit from laser eye treatment as well. These folks would fare better with disposable lenses as they can correct a wider range of limitations on the eyes, even with their restrictions. For people with really high prescriptions, wearing a pair of conventional or year-round contact lens would be more appropriate to achieve better vision.

An uneven-shaped cornea, which is often caused by an injury or disease, is another condition in which laser eye treatment will not be able to correct. A special kind of lens called an RGP (rigid gas permeable or hard) contact lens will help the individual see clearly as this type is made of a sturdier and more rigid material, compensating for the irregularity of the cornea. The newer and smoother front surface of the eye will then result to better eyesight as compared to wearing contact lens that is soft.

These instances are areas where contact lenses would be more appropriate; however, using them does not come without disadvantages. These drawbacks are conditions wherein laser eye treatment stand out.

One perfect example would be maintenance. Obviously, there is a need to regular maintain contact lenses. The demand to be habitually maintained means constant cleaning, not to mention, inserting and removing the lenses each time they are placed on the eyes. Not only is this a hassle, but not everyone has the time to do all these things all the time. Laser eye treatment requires no further maintenance once the patient is healed from the operation.

Secondly, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of placing a relatively large alien object on the eye – which is exactly what a contact lens is. As they are often in the eyes for long periods of time, individuals are presented with higher chances of getting eye infections. This becomes especially important when a person sleeps with the contact lens or fails to properly maintain them. Again, no additional maintenance is needed once a patient recovers from laser eye treatment.

When it comes to sports, wearing contact lenses may prove to be problematic. Rough sports like kickboxing, rugby, soccer, and even swimming can easily cause the lenses to pop out or dislocate, which will then become unsafe for the person as he or she will have difficulties seeing clearly. Aside from sports, there are many activities wear individuals actually prefer not wearing eyeglasses and opt for contact lens. However, the nature of certain activities may result to contact lenses popping out or getting dislodged, which is certainly not the case with laser eye treatment.

To reiterate, both forms of vision correction comes with their own benefits and shortcomings. To choose which one is more appropriate, a visit to the local laser eye clinic should significantly help. Optometrists are the best ones to ask as they can provide a more professional advice as to whether laser eye treatment or contact lens would suit the patient more.